Finally, after almost 7 years, 1500 DXCC Challenge Band Points

Posted on November 7, 2021 by robert

Prior to 2012, I had only 7 QSLs from DXCC countries (USA, AK, HI, Canada, France, Germany, and Spain).  I wasn’t a DXer, but I had volunteered for years at the W4 QSL Bureau.  I got to see QSL cards from all over the world going into the the sorting bins of other hams.  I wondered if I would ever get DXCC.  Forty two years later, in 2012, after taking a decade off from ham radio (raising kids, working hard, etc), I started chasing DX.  Despite having a modest station, by March of 2012, I had a mixed DXCC certificate in hand.  Many of them were QRP and CW.  After that, I had the bug!

Three years later, I had reached 1000 band-points and earned the first level of the DXCC Challenge award.  Just in the nick of time, as Solar Cycle 24 was rapidly faltering. (Thankfully I had also completed 8BDXCC around this same time, so I was mostly looking for 160 meter contacts).

Over the next six years, my DXCC Challenge count slowly increased.  While it took two months shy of seven years, today I finally obtained 1500 band-points.  Those seven years covered the bottom of Cycle 24 and the beginning of Cycle 25, which made DX far more challenging.

My thanks to Mario YS1GMV, who happened to be #1500, and of course all those before him!

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Wireless? Pull the other one!

Posted on November 4, 2021 by robert

A shiny-new QRP Labs 4om QCX-mini joined the collection of QRP rigs today.  My thanks to Jon, W8TY (Ohio), who did the heavy lifting for my first QSO using the mini.  I’m still amazed at the performance of a transceiver that is about the size of a deck of cards.

I did some simple tests to see how things were working.  Everything was done using a LiFePO4 battery with a voltage of about 13.1 volts.

  • RX Consumption (backlight on): 65 mA
  • TX Consumption: 850 mA
  • TX Power Output: 6.2 Watts

I checked out the RX sensitivity, and had no issue hearing a 1 uV signal (S3).  A 50 uV signal (S9) was very strong/loud.  Not surprisingly, the mini has no AGC, so be careful with the volume control when tuning around, as the strongest signals can be painful if the volume is too high.

I was very impressed with the internal keyer, which did a fine job at 20 wpm.

It should be obvious from the photo below, that there is very little wireless about this hobby.  I’ll also point out that the paddle, battery and antenna tuner weigh in at 11 times the weight of the QCX-mini and 6 times the volume.

I have another QCX-mini, for 20m, waiting to be built.

Posted in QCX-mini, QRP | Leave a comment

Increasing Solar Activity in Cycle 25 == DX fun!

Posted on November 1, 2021 by robert

Solar Cycle 25 is well underway with Sunspot Numbers at values not seen in six years! (Above the prediction for this early in the cycle 25).  I’ve been having fun on all the higher frequency bands recently, with 10/12/15 open at least part of the late morning and afternoon every day.

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar-cycle-progression

I continue to try and reach my goal of 1500 band-points for the DXCC Challenge.  A day ago, I was sitting at 1486.  By today, I’m at 1495.  I can’t remember a time that I’ve picked up so many confirmations in a day or two.  With 14 more Qs waiting for confirmation including  7 from the excellent 3DA0RU DXpedition, it seems that 1500 might happen before the end of the year.

Posted in Cycle 25, DX, Propagation, Solar Cycles | Leave a comment

Worked VK5PW on 160m this morning

Posted on October 20, 2021 by robert

I’ve only heard Australian stations a couple of times on 160m, but they have never heard me before.  This morning broke the curse, and I was able to work VK5PW on 160m via grey-line.  Now I’m hoping that he uploads to LotW.

Posted in 160-Meters, DX, FT8 | Leave a comment

Two more park activations: K-0789 and K-2880

Posted on October 18, 2021 by robert

Today was another beautiful brisk fall day.  Clear skies, temp in the upper 50s, fall colors about to come in.  My wife and our dog Jaclyn were restless, so it was time for a trip to a couple new parks.

The first was Snake Den State Park in Johnston.  I’ve lived here 40+ years and never heard of it, and I understood why when I got there.  The trailhead was in back of an abandoned fire station and went in about 50 feet, then was overgrown.  On a map it looks like it should make it to a swamp/pond, but didn’t get that far.  No matter, 22 CW QSOS later, it was activated.

The second was Roger Williams National Park (K-0789) in downtown Providence.  As a urban park it is surrounded by high-rise buildings, and full of electrical noise.  I remember it well from the ARRL National Parks on the Air program about 4 years ago.  13 folks were nice enough to make a CW contact with me.

My goal of 50 RI Parks by year’s end is getting closer.  With these two parks I now have 44 completed (plus one in Maine).  Five parks are located along the northern edge of the state, mostly management areas.  And Beach Pond, which is on the west-central edge of the state will be an easy one to pick up.  I will likely leave Block Island (sea voyage) and the Washington-Rochambeau Trail until next year.  The latter is spread out all over the state.

I may do 2 or 3 more tomorrow.

Posted in Activation, POTA | Leave a comment

Added Stenogyne Kanehoana POTA Award

Posted on October 15, 2021 by robert

Stenogyne Kanehoana is a rare flowering member of the mint family found only on the Island of Ohau.  This is the name of the Hunter award for working 400 unique parks in the Parks on the Air program.  Was last award was issued on August 20th, so I’m adding about 12 new parks a week (I’m usually on and mostly working folks using CW).  It would be easy to work a dozen or more a day if I bothered to dust off my microphone.

I plan on activating another two parks sometime next week.

Posted in Awards, CW, POTA | Leave a comment

Who says CW is dead?!?

Posted on October 13, 2021 by robert

The CWT at 1300Z (9 AM Eastern) on 40-meters.  Those 30 KHz are jammed with signals.  Will be many more at 1900Z.

This was CWT #68 for me. There are 11 more Wednesdays left in 2021, with 3 contests each, making 33, plus 2 more today, leaving 35 more opportunities.  I need 12 more to get the silver award for this year – should be very doable (might even crack 100).

Posted in CW, CWops, CWT | Leave a comment

POTA Time!

Posted on October 1, 2021 by robert

I last did POTA Activations in March (although I’ve kept hunting since then).  With the coming of spring, the parks started getting full of people, cars, electrical noise, etc.  Not something I wanted to be doing during a COVID resurgence.  However, it’s fall now, and people aren’t out and about as much, so it’s time to start POTA Activations again.

My first activation was at park K-0001, which is Acadia National Park up in Bar Harbor Maine.  My family was vacationing at a house we rented, so it was a perfect time to activate park #1.  We discovered that the park had put a $6 toll in place, with advanced reservations required to summit (3 years ago you could just drive up anytime).  No matter, fun was had by all, and I successfully activated the park.

Acadia National Park from Cadillac Mountain Summit – my view out my car window.

Back in Rhode Island, the bug had taken hold.  So yesterday I headed out to two new parks (for me): K-5482, which is Wickaboxet State Forest, and K-6990, Nicholas Farm Wildlife Management area.  Both of these parks are in the west-central part of the state, almost in CT.  Both are nothing more than trees with a few trails.  Both parks were successfully activated.

My 16 AH LiFePO4 battery was used for all three activations, each of which lasted about 45 minutes and produced a couple dozen contacts.  After the 3rd activation, I recharged the battery, and it accepted 7.6 AH.  I continue to feel that a 12 to 16 AH LiFePO4 battery is adequate for all but the most long-winded activations.  I no longer take my 30 or 60 AH battery with me, and I may shift over to a 12 AH battery at some point.

A sign marks a small trail head at Wickaboxet State Forest

Things were even more spartan at Nicholas Farm Wildlife Management Area. A small dirt pull-off next to a winding dirt road had a tiny “State Management Area” sign on it.

Posted in Activation, From the OM, NPOTA, POTA | Leave a comment

10K + Goal Progress

Posted on September 8, 2021 by robert

When I started CWT #58 this morning, I was sitting at 9,996 confirmed in LotW.  When I uploaded my log, I bumped over 10,000 confirmed QSOs in LotW.

At the beginning of each year I set some goals for myself.  Checking my progress for the 2021 goals:

  • Teach a Technician Class (Yep, did that this spring)
  • Reach 1500 Band-Points in the DXCC Challenge (closer after adding 27 to get to 1479)
  • Complete DXCC on 160-Meters (no closer at all, still at 93)
  • Reach a total of 50 park activations in RI (ten more to go, I’m at 40)
  • Add 1,500 QSOs to the log (killed it! Added 3,060 so far this year)

I doubt I will complete DXCC on 160 (although the new season will be starting in a month or so).  The same holds true for DXCC Challenge 1500, with 21 more to go.  But we will see.  I should be able to get ten more parks (there are 52 now), now that the summer crowds are going away.

If I could add a new goal, it would be to compete in at least 80 CWTs.  I did my 58th for the year this morning, and didn’t know about them until May.  There are 50 CWTs left to go in 2021.  Given that my antenna has taken a hit twice so far this year, this is far from certain with 2.5 months of hurricane season left to go.

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15,000 QSOs in LOTW

Posted on September 1, 2021 by robert

When I uploaded my contacts from today’s CWT at 1900Z, I found that I had gone over 15,000 QSOs in LOTW.  Only a few more needed to get to 10,000 confirmations too.  This was CWT #57 for me this year.  The 0300z one is not looking good due to the remnants of Hurricane Ida bringing 4-6″ of rain and thunderstorms around midnight.  But who knows!

Posted in Contests, CWT, LotW | 1 Comment